ARC Review: Any Second by Kevin Emerson

Review by: Paige

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Thriller

Publication: November 20, 2018

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Five years after being kidnapped, Elian’s captor sends him into the mall–with a bomb strapped to his chest.

Across the mall is Maya, a girl whose crippling anxiety holds her prisoner in its own way. 

Whether it’s chance or fate, Maya keeps Eli from ending them all. And now nothing is the same. Drawn together by their dark pasts, Maya and Eli know it takes only seconds for their entire worlds to change. But time will tell if meeting each other will change them for better or worse.

It’s That Time of Year Again

Well, folks. It’s that time of year again. Meg and I are back in college and our time for blogging and reading has severely diminished. However! The good news is that my academic schedule is much roomier this semester. The bad news is that my extracurriculars will be taking up all that extra time I’ve built in. Despite that, we will try to remain as active as possible! I always hesitate on writing this little note and wait until I’ve been back in the swing of things and have a general sense of my schedule before posting this. I’m so glad I’ll have more time this semester (hopefully this whole year) but I will still be noticeably absent at times. I’m lucky to have such fantastic English classes this semester, and please feel free to add me on Goodreads to follow those readings!

I’m so happy to announce that I’ve also recently become a staff writer for Affinity Magazine for their Arts + Culture site! I’m hoping to bring a little book blogging to the site, and you can check out my first bookish discussion here.

Thank you all, always, for your patience and understanding. Happy reading!

xoxo,

Paige and Meg

ARC Review: The Chaos of Now by Erin Jade Lange

Review by: Paige

Rating: ★ ★

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Publication: October 2, 2018

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

Synopsis: Is it real if it happens online?

Life at Eli’s high school hasn’t been the same since his classmate Jordan committed suicide after being tirelessly bullied. Schools now have access to students’ online activities and students have less privacy than ever. Eli just wants to graduate—so he can get out of town, get away from his father’s embarrassingly young fiancée, and get himself a prestigious coding job. But Eli’s hacking skills get him roped into a vigilante website that—while subverting the school’s cybersnoops— seeks justice for Jordan and everyone else being bullied. Suddenly Eli finds himself in way over his head as his keystrokes start to have devastating consequences in the real world . . . This timely story from the author of Butter is a thrilling tale about the power of the internet, the young people who wield it, and the fine lines between bully and victim, justice and vengeance.

ARC Review: The Good Demon by Jimmy Cajoleas

Review by: Paige

Rating: ★ ★ ★

Genre: Young Adult, Horror

Publication: September 18, 2018

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: True Detective meets The Exorcist in this gripping YA mystery debut about one girl’s exorcism—and her desperate quest to reunite with her demon

Clare has been miserable since her exorcism. The preacher that rid her of evil didn’t understand that her demon—simply known as Her—was like a sister to Clare. Now, Clare will do almost anything to get Her back. After a chance encounter with the son of the preacher who exorcised her, Clare goes on an adventure through the dark underbelly of her small Southern town, discovering its deep-seated occult roots. As she searches for Her, she must question the fine lines between good and evil, love and hate, and religion and free will. Vivid and sharp, The Good Demon tells the unusual story of friendship amid dark Gothic horror.

ARC Review: Analee, In Real Life by Janelle Milanes

Review by: Paige

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Publication: September 18, 2018

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

*OwnVoices for Latinx Rep*

Synopsis: Ever since her mom died three years ago, Analee Echevarria has had trouble saying out loud the weird thoughts that sit in her head. With a best friend who hates her and a dad who’s marrying a yogi she can’t stand, Analee spends most of her time avoiding reality and role-playing as Kiri, the night elf hunter at the center of her favorite online game.

Through Kiri, Analee is able to express everything real-life Analee cannot: her bravery, her strength, her inner warrior. The one thing both Kiri and Analee can’t do, though, is work up the nerve to confess her romantic feelings for Kiri’s partner-in-crime, Xolkar—aka a teen boy named Harris whom Analee has never actually met in person.

So when high school heartthrob Seb Matias asks Analee to pose as his girlfriend in an attempt to make his ex jealous, Analee agrees. Sure, Seb seems kind of obnoxious, but Analee could use some practice connecting with people in real life. In fact, it’d maybe even help her with Harris.

But the more Seb tries to coax Analee out of her comfort zone, the more she starts to wonder if her anxious, invisible self is even ready for the real world. Can Analee figure it all out without losing herself in the process?

15 Favorite YA Book Quotes

There’s nothing quite like having the breath knocked out of you when you read a beautiful quote. And YA is certainly full of such moments. So, we’ve decided to compile a list of some of our favorites! While this is certainly not an extensive selection, a lot of these don’t get enough attention from the book community, and they deserve to; some get as much attention as they deserve, and more. Either way, these quotes have helped to solidify our deep love and appreciation for these novels, and we hope you can find the beauty in their writing too.

If This, Then That: The Cruel Prince

There’s still time to join in The Cruel Prince hype, right? One of our absolute favorite reads of the year, and of course a favorite of many, we could not get enough of this book when it first came out. The wait for The Wicked King is killing us, so if you’re still trying to recover from reading TPC, check out these titles!

If You’re Looking For…The Fae

Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones

A glimmering, seductive Hades/Persephone retelling, Wintersong details an often overlooked, but no less dangerous, group of the fae – goblins. When Liesl’s sister is taken captive by the wicked Goblin King to be his bride, she’ll do anything to get her back – even if that means sacrificing herself in the process. This book, though dense, has all of the mischief and romance that one should expect from the fae, and a story that will enthrall you.

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If You’re Looking For…High Fantasy

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir 

While TPC may not be entirely high fantasy (after all, there’s a whole mortal world out there for Jude and her siblings to wish to explore), the actual court setting of The Cruel Prince has many high fantasy elements. If you’re looking for a new world still connected to the old, An Ember in the Ashes is a violent, harrowing journey. With just a bit of magic mixed in with all the danger, Laia and Elias’s story will captivate and challenge you.

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If You’re Looking For…Enemies to Lovers

Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins

Enemies to Lovers may be a classic trope, but we’ll never tire of it. If you’re looking for a more lighthearted read, this book is the perfect romance. While it still has mysticism and mythology tied into its roots, Harper and David’s banter, sharp wit, and decades-old tension will draw you right in. Hilarious and heartfelt, these two are one of our favorite YA couples of. all. time. And they’ll be sure to join your lists, too.

Review: Autoboyography by Christina Lauren

Review by: Paige

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBT

Synopsis: Three years ago, Tanner Scott’s family relocated from California to Utah, a move that nudged the bisexual teen temporarily back into the closet. Now, with one semester of high school to go, and no obstacles between him and out-of-state college freedom, Tanner plans to coast through his remaining classes and clear out of Utah.

But when his best friend Autumn dares him to take Provo High’s prestigious Seminar—where honor roll students diligently toil to draft a book in a semester—Tanner can’t resist going against his better judgment and having a go, if only to prove to Autumn how silly the whole thing is. Writing a book in four months sounds simple. Four months is an eternity.

It turns out, Tanner is only partly right: four months is a long time. After all, it takes only one second for him to notice Sebastian Brother, the Mormon prodigy who sold his own Seminar novel the year before and who now mentors the class. And it takes less than a month for Tanner to fall completely in love with him.

Book to Movie: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

Yesterday marked the release of the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before film, and from the fan reactions you’ve probably already seen, it was a hit. I’ve been eagerly wishing for these books to be adapted for the screen from the moment I first picked up TATBILB. And the film was just as sweet, endearing, melodramatic, and romantic as I could have possibly hoped it would be. I found myself falling in love with this story and these characters all over again.

The movie stayed very true to the book, but missed out on a lot of my favorite, smaller moments. Halloween and the costume contest! The Christmas cookie bonanza! Antiquing! I don’t see how adding those moments into the movie would have detracted from the effect of it at all; in fact, I think it would’ve made naive viewers fall even more in love. It was just a bit too rushed, and adding in some of those scenes would have only allowed viewers to get a better understanding of these characters and their connections.

Top Ten Books I’d Mash Together

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly blog meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, originally created by The Broke and the Bookish. We haven’t done a T10T in quite a while, and this week’s theme was just too fun to pass up! However, we’re only gonna be listing 5 mash-ups today, for a total of 10 books.

The Fixer + All Fall Down

I always love a good political thriller, and I think it would be so fun to mesh these two worlds together! Seeing Tess Kendrick from The Fixer working on international soil and navigating a whole new aspect of politics would be so intriguing, and I really feel like the two narrators would get along really well. Just imagine the drama.